Turning 40 – The 40 Day Fast
One of my goals for 2015 was to do a 40 day fast. This is something that I’ve been thinking about for a while.
You see, fasting is part and parcel of our Christian walk. I do try to do it once a week, to keep my life consecrated and seek God. Then there are times when something’s happening round the corner. For example, someone dear going for an operation, a friend having a job interview or medical review. I would go for a 3 day or 5 day fast for that.
And yes, that’s about the max I’ve done. 5 days full fast. So I’ve had about 3 colleagues and 2 friends around me who have gone on prolonged fasts of 40 days. And each time I hear of their fast, the experience and journey, I felt very led to do the same!
I need to be very specific here that I know only 5 people personally who did a 40 day fast. I’ve had comments in my face that people fast so long because they want to lose weight. And the most snide remark was, maybe you also wanna lose weight, that’s why you decided to do this? Sigh… Honestly, if doing a 40 day fast is so easy, more people would have done it just to lose weight!
So why did I make this 40 day fast a goal? Well, I turn 40 this year, I would really want to seek God for a direction for possibly next 40 years (and more!), I want a breakthrough for my life, my kids, esp Nadine, and I want a breakthrough for my church and some friends whom I’m praying for. I want to really have a time of being so sensitive to hear from Him!
Having said that, I decided to ask a close group of friends if they wanted to join me on this fast. This is the same crazy group that went to climb Mt Kinabalu because it was on the bucket list of one of the members. I asked them in Dec after praying and confirming that’s what I would like to do in 2015. AND NO ONE REPLIED ME!!
Then, one asked, “Is it every day for 40 days, we just fast from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.?” And when I replied, “No, it’s for 40 days, we fast 24 hours”. AND THE CHAT WENT SILENT.
Then another asked, “So what do we eat for 40 days?” And I replied, “Nothing. I’m planning to have water and fruit/veg juice and soup”. Next question, “How about Coffee, Tea, Milo?” And I said, “No Caffeine, and No Milo, cos the milo and milk does make you full” And the comment, “Huh? No milk, then how to be full?” And I said, “This is a fast not a diet”. AND THE CHAT WENT SILENT AGAIN.
To cut the whole story short, all of them prayed, thought over it, and decided to join me on the 40 day fast. And on 4 January 2015, we began on our journey. I’m so so happy to say, we completed our fast on 12 February 2015! The four of us prayed through, encouraged each other, lasted the growling tummies, shared interesting juice and soup recipes and finished the race! Wooooooohoooooo!!!
Just a quick note, I am aware that the Bible says we do not boast about our fast. I was reading a blog post by a Pastor who shared about his 40 day fast, and I agree with him! He said:
I feel a little funny writing that because fasting is something that should often be done in secret (Matt. 6:16-18). However, not all fasts must be done in secret (Acts 13:1-3). And some fasts cannot be done in secret. When you pass up one meal it’s possible that no one will ask questions. But when you pass up 120 meals people notice. When you lose 30 pounds people start to ask questions. Fasting for 40 days can be done Godwardly, but it would be hard to do secretly.
Because it is no secret that I have been fasting, I want to share some thoughts with you on fasting. I hope my experience will stir up a revival of seeking the Lord through prayer and fasting in you. To that end, here are some thoughts after forty days of fasting.
Now some may ask, what happened during the fast? What did we drink? How did we survive? I’ll journal that down shortly. Meanwhile, that’s my update thus far for my 2015–Year of turning 40. One item done! Yeah!!!
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Do you have a bucket list for 2015? Join me if you like, (esp if you are turning 40 too!) I’m going to do stuff that just challenge my confidence, my values, my discipline and a bit of my time. Definitely won’t be going for those travel round the world, feed a dolphin or bungee jump type.
If you have a bucket list for 2015 (even if you are NOT turning 40), please tell me about it! I would love to hear about it, and would be so encouraged by it! For those turning 40, you can add this at the end of your post:
We are keeping this 2015 Bucket List linky open for the entire year! Join me to celebrate!
I wouldn’t say that I have a bucket list per se, but I have renewed my determination to be intentional with my relationships. In other words, I try to make each moment count with my loved ones, and I put time with them over other obligations.
Very impressive – and that’s a wonderful reason to fast. I’m inspired by you in this (I won’t say I’ll do it, because that would be untruthful), but I do need to be better about setting time aside each day with priority given to God and seeking Him out, which is probably why I SHOULD fast 😉
I think that is just so wonderful. And I’m so happy that you all completed this fast successfully. I so look forward to reading more about your journey during this time!
Good for you. My dad used to do a 40 day fast many times while I was growing up. I remember at first he would require a lot of alone time but eventually he would even sit at the dinner table with us while we ate. I have never done more than a few days at a time.
I so admire your dedication and commitment. That’s a huge (and scary to me) thing to do, but I love that you went into it with support and that you all made it.
eek – I’m glad you made it, but that’s so unhealthy for your body! I’m already 41 and I didn’t set any goals for year 40, but this year my goal is to lose 100 lbs. I have already lost 25lbs.
I did the Daniel Fast last January- not for spiritual reasons (as intended), but more as a weight loss tool and to see if I could do it. I really enjoyed it and felt so much better at the end of those 30 days. I’ve been contemplating starting one this year but only to apply the spiritual aspect. There are so many needs, not necessarily in my life, but those around me and I really feel led to spend time in prayer. I’m excited for you and looking forward to hearing how this goes for you.
Way to go! I don’t think I would have been able to do it, but I am so impressed that you all did! I just turned 40 as well (OMGoodness) and my goal is to lose all of this weight I gained. Down 15lbs so far!!